Multi-Vehicle Collision Kills Pennsylvania Man

Pennsylvania State Police confirmed that a 76-year-old man died as the result of a three-vehicle collision on U.S. 11 in Antrim Township on Dec. 3. Purportedly, the 76-year-old man had been traveling northbound on the highway when he collided head-on with a southbound car that crossed the centerline.

The driver of southbound car, a 20-year-old man, had first collided with a car in the southbound lane before veering into oncoming traffic, authorities reported. While investigators have not yet identified the accident’s cause, police reported that the 20-year-old driver struck both the southbound vehicle and the 76-year-old man’s vehicle while making a swerving maneuver. There was no immediate word on whether alcohol or speeding played a role in the crash.

In the wake of a fatal car accident like the one on Route 11 on Dec. 3, there may be grounds for filing a wrongful death claim. This is a type of civil action available to certain family members of the deceased accident victim who suffered demonstrable losses, especially financial, on account of their loved one’s sudden and unnecessary passing.

If the victim’s family, through the representation of their lawyer, can show that another party’s actionable behavior, such as negligence or recklessness, caused the fatal crash, a civil court may award them significant compensation for their losses. Because civil cases require a lower burden of proof than do criminal cases, some drivers who caused fatal crashes are held liable for the accident in civil court even though they avoided criminal penalties. Many families retain an attorney relatively soon after the incident that took the life of their love one.

Source: Echo-Pilot , “Greencastle man killed in head-on crash,” December 04, 2014